Minimum Wage - WA

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's minimum wage isincreasing to $9.04 an hour starting in January. The Department of Labor and Industries announced the changeFriday, raising the barrier from $8.67 an hour. The move will keepthe state's minimum wage as the highest in the nation. Washington's minimum wage is adjusted each year for inflation asmeasured by the Consumer Price Index for the past 12 months, whichis up more than 4 percent. Oregon has the second highest minimum wage and recentlyannounced that it will rise to $8.80 an hour in 2012.